Raptors shipping Turkoglu to Suns: Report

Hedo Turkoglu may finally get his wish. The disgruntled Toronto Raptors forward is reportedly being shipped to Phoenix Suns in a four-team National Basketball Association trade.

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TORONTO — After one of the most disastrous one-year marriages in sports history, the Toronto Raptors and Hedo Turkoglu are reportedly headed for a divorce.

According to the Arizona Republic, the Raptors are close to sending the unhappy and unproductive Turkish forward to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for speedy guard Leandro Barbosa and journeyman forward Dwayne Jones.

Jones and point guard Jose Calderon would then be flipped to the Charlotte Bobcats for versatile forward Boris Diaw and possibly centre Tyson Chandler, according to the Charlotte Observer. Toronto would move out at least one more player in the transaction. They could move the expiring contracts of Reggie Evans and Marcus Banks to finalize the deal.

Both Diaw and Barbosa were previously acquired by Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo when he ran the Suns. Barbosa, 27, was drafted 28th overall in 2003 by San Antonio, and traded to Phoenix for a future first-round pick.

The Brazilian was named the NBA’s sixth man of the year in 2006-07, but struggled with wrist and ankle injuries last season and averaged just 9.5 points, his worst in five seasons. His scoring per minute, however, barely fell at all.

Diaw, meanwhile, was acquired when Colangelo executed a sign-and-trade that sent Joe Johnson to Atlanta in 2005. The 28-year-old was traded to Charlotte in 2008 in a deal that brought back Jason Richardson. A native of France, he averaged 11.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists last season. Like Turkoglu, he is multi-faceted.

With Bosh gone, Calderon was the longest-serving Raptor. The point guard was with the team since the 2005-06 season, and was the last remaining piece from Rob Babcock’s tenure with the Raptors. He struggled mightily last season, averaging 10.3 points and 5.9 assists per game, with both his field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage taking a dip. He has three years remaining on his contract, with about $29 million US owed.

In Chandler, the Raptors would get a legitimate centre. However, the 27-year-old played just 51 games last year due to myriad injuries. He thrived with Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets, but averaged just 6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last year. However, his $12.75 million US contract expires at the end of next season.

The move saves Toronto money in the long term — Turkoglu had four years and $40 million US left on what had rapidly become a millstone of a contract, while both Diaw and Barbosa’s contracts expire after the 2011-12 season. Diaw is scheduled to make $9 million US the next two years, while Barbosa will make $7.1 and $7.6 million.

Turkoglu’s one year in Toronto was essentially a long series of unfortunate events. He arrived suffering from exhaustion after playing for Turkey’s national team, and was allowed to rest through most of training camp. When he did play, he was notably lethargic, and complained often about his role in the offence. He was also accused of stealing a woman’s cellphone because she took pictures of him at a club.

He gave a most memorable one-word answer explaining a big game in Madison Square Garden — “ball” — and was suspended late in the season for allegedly being seen partying after missing a game with the flu. He averaged 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and shot 41 per cent from the field, his worst statistical campaign since 2003-04.

As for Colangelo, he made clear last week that he would not undertake a rebuilding project — instead, he would retool. This is it. The Raptors now feature a frontcourt of Andrea Bargnani, Diaw, Amir Johnson, potentially Chandler and rookies Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi. The backcourt is crowded yet underwhelming, with Jarrett Jack, Barbosa, DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems and Marco Belinelli. The team is also waiting to see if Denver matches its four-year, $20-million offer to forward Linas Kleiza.

None of it spells contender, but Colangelo, who has one year left on his contract, has shuffled the numbers again in search of a return to the playoffs. Colangelo has given himself another kick at the can, it seems. We’ll see what he does with it.

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